Apparatus for transmitting hot pans of bread from ovens



Sept. 9, 1952 N. J. NICOLETTI APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING HOT FANS OI BREAD FROM OVENS Filed Sept. 16, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 'INVENTOR. N. J. NICOLE-ITTI ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 9, 1952 APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING HOT PANS F BREAD FROM OVENS Nicholas J. Nicoletti, St. Louis, Mo.

Application September 16, 1948, Serial 49,518

. 1 p This invention relates to apparatus for transmitting hot pans of bread from ovens, andm'ore particularly to the problem of economically separating the hot loaves from the pans.

In commercial practice very large ovens are employed to bake bread in pans seated on a travelingconv'eyor underconditions which provide for rather rapid discharge of the hot pans ofbaked bread. Each pan usually contains severalloavesseparated from each other by partitionswhich are exposed at the top of the pan. For example, the capacity of an oven may result in the discharge of about 16'pans per minute.

One of the objects of the present invention is to produce an efficient means for quickly loosening the hot loaves from the pans, and thereafter discharging the bread and pans inseparate zones at a speed conforming approximately to the rate of dischargefrom the oven.

' Another objectis to avoid undue mutilation of the panso'r the bread during these separating operations. l 4

' With the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention comprises the specific combination and arrangement of details hereinafter described. However, it isto be understood that the scope of the invention extends to modifications and variations more broadly set forth by terms employed in the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a machine embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view wherein a portion of the oven conveyor and its discharge chute are shown by dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a suitable guide for an endless traveling carrier.

Fig. 4 is a section of the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing how a sprocket wheel can mesh with rollers of the traveling carrier.

' Briefly stated the hot pans of bread are discharged from an oven conveyor 5 to a transferring device including an endless traveling carrier 6 provided with a return bend l at the left portion of Fig. 1 where the pans 8 are dumped and inverted while passing around the return bend, the loaves "9 being eventually delivered to a bread conveyor it while the pans are delivered to a pan conveyor l I, as will be hereafter described.

Each side of the traveling carrier 6 is provided with rollers 12 arranged in channel-shaped guides l3 as shown in Figures 3 and 4, said guides being inclined upwardly at I4 in Fig. l for a purpose which will be presently described. Sprocket wheels 15 and I6 are associated with the carrier 6 as shown in Fig. 1. Any suitable driving mecha 6 Claims. (Cl. 2141.1)

nism may be employed to drive these wheels at a speed conforming to the rate at which the hot pans of bread are discharged from the oven conveyor 5.

Each of the pans 8 has partitions l1 between loaves of bread, and these partitions are exposed at the tops of the pans as shown in Fig. 2 for contact with track devices I 8 having curvedportions near the return bend 1, said track devices being inclined downwardly around said return bend and extended under the return course of the traveling carrier to receive and support the inverted pans. As shown in Fig. 1, the oven conveyor 5 may be provided with a chute l9 to discharge the hot pans of bread into a lower intake zone of the traveling carrier 6. The pans are then loosely supported by said carrier. However, this carrier preferably includes extended pushers 20 separated from each other and adapted to contact with the loose pans. When the carrier rises at the incline M (Fig. 1) a pan of loaves will contact with a lower pusher 20 for positive delivery to the track devices [8.

As a suitable means for alining the partitions l! of the loose pans with said track devices [8, I have shown a pair of converging deflectors 2! located above the elevated path of the traveling.

carrier at opposite sides of the loose pans to deflect said pans to an approximately predetermined location wherein partitions I! are suitably alinedwith the track devices [8.

As a consequence, when a pan is dumped at the return bend it will drop along the track devices l8 from a pusher 20 to forcibly contact with the next adjacent lower pusher, thereby loosening the loaves from the pans. At this time the free loaves tend todrop by gravity from the pans.

However, I have shown a bread retainer 22 separated from the track devices 18 to receive the forcibly loosened loaves of bread. This bread retainer 22 has a smooth supporting surface lower than but adjacent to said track devices, so as to temporarily retain the loosened loaves in push ing contact with the inverted pans driven by the pushers 2D. The bread retainer also includes a smooth supporting member 23 adjustable to vary the location of its terminal margin at an entrance to a discharge chute 24 for the loaves of bread. As shown in Fig. 1, the supporting member 23 may be provided with an adjusting screw 25 for shifting said supporting member 23 toward and away from the chute 24.

i The curved body portion of the bread retainer 22, which lies near the return bend of the carrier, isadjustable toward and away from curved portions of the track devices l8. As a suitable falling loaves, said stop being carried by a lever 28 pivoted at 29 and provided with a roller 36 contacting with a rotary cam 3|. This cam Si is driven by a toothed wheel 32 meshing with rollers I2 of the carrier Gas shown in Fig. 4 to move the bread stop 2'! into and out of the path of the loaves. A spring 33 (Fig. 1) tends to retain the roller 3% in contact with the cam 3|.

When the inverted pans are pushed along the lower portion of Fig. l, the loosened loaves are tilted while dropping from the terminal margin of the adjustable supporting member 23, so as to occupy an approximately upright position in contact with the stop member 21. Thereaften the stop member is withdrawn and the loaves fall toupright positions on the traveling bread conveyor However, the track devices iii are extended beyond the outlet for the loaves of bread to a pan outlet where the pans are dropped from inclined end portions 3:: of-the tracks to a chute 35 leading to the traveling pan conveyor II where the pans are carriedaway in upright positions.

The hot loaves are separated from the pans without undue mutilation of the bread orpans, and these results are economically accomplished at'a relatively high speed conforming to the rate of discharge from a large oven.

In commercial practice, the lengths of the pans 8 are variable and thesame is true of, the loca tions of the partitions i! which contact with the track devices [8. To provide for such variations,

the track devices {8 are adjustable toward and away'from each other, and the converging deflectors 2! are likewise adjustable to locate the partitions l! in approximate alinement with the tracks. 7

To illustrate a suitable condition of this kind,

I have shown-a screw threaded rod 36 at the upper ends of the track devices l8, said rod having right and left hand threads to adjust the track devices 13 toward and away from each other. The lower ends of said track devices may be supported by a similar rod 31 (Fig. 1).

In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown a sprocket device including 'a chain 38- to transmit rotary movement from the upper rod 35-to the lower rod 31. The upper rod 3% is provided with an operating wheel 39 to simultaneously adjust the upper and lower ends of the track devices [8.

Theconverging deflectors 2! are carried by a rod 46 having right and left hand screw threads ersv being separated from each other to advance H the pans and provide abutmGits for the dumped pans, each dumped pan being dropped onto the next adjacent preceding pusher to forcibly loosen its bread from the pan, track devices associated with said return bend to receive and invert the dumped pans, said track devices being extended below the return course of said endless carrier to support the inverted pans in the path of said traveling pushers, a bread retainer having a relatively short supporting surface located below but adjacent to said track devices to temporarily iconfine'the loosened bread in the inverted pans. an outlet for the bread being formed at the terminal margin of said relatively short supporting surface, and said track devices being provided with discharge ends beyond said bread outlet to separately discharge the pans.

2. In. an apparatus for transmitting hot pans of bread froman oven having a conveyor to discharge said hot pans, a transferring device including an endless traveling carrier having an intake zone below the discharge end of said oven conveyor to loosely receive the hot pans of bread, said traveling carrier being provided with separated pushers to contact with the hot pans, a pair of converging defiectorslocated above said carrier at opposite sides of the path of the loose pans to deflect said pans to an approximately predetermined location on the carrier, track devices beyond said converging deflectors to contact with exposed top faces of the deflected pans, said endless, traveling carrier being provided with a return bend to dump the hot pans of bread from said pushers, thereby inverting the traveling pans at said return bend while dropping each pan into forcible contact with the next adjacent precedingpusher to forcibly loosen the loaves in the ans, said track devices being inclined downw rd y at. s id. return bend. and ex en ed under the return course of said traveling carrier to receive and support the inverted pans in the path of saidpushers. and a bread retainer separated from said track devices to receive the forcibly loosened loaves of bread, saidblcad retainer having a supporting surface lower than but adj cent to said track devices, so as to temporarily retain the loosened loaves in pushing contact with the inverted pans, an g, outlet for the loaves being 7 formed at the terminal margin of said supporting bread from an oven having a conveyor to discharge said hot pans, a transferring device including an endless traveling carrier havin an intake zone below the discharge end of said oven conveyor to loosely receive the hot pans of bread, said traveling carrier being provided with separated pushers to contact with the hot pans, means for guiding said traveling carrier in an upward direction from said intake zone to allow the loose pans to drop by gravity onto said pushers, a pair of converging deflectors located above the elevated path of said carrier at opposite sides of the pathof the loose pans to deflect said pans to an approximately predetermined location on the carrier, track devices beyond said converging deflec tors to contact with exposed top faces'of the defiected pans, said endless traveling carrier being provided with a return bend to dump the hot pans of bread from said pushers, thereby invert.- ing the traveling pans at said return bend While dropping each pan into forcible contact with the next adj acentpreceding pusher to forcibly loosen the loaves in the pans, said track devices being inclined downwardly at said returnbendand ex: tended under the return course of said traveling carrier to receive and support the inverted pans in tl e path of said pushers, a bread retainer sep arated from said track devices to receive the forcibly loosened loaves of bread, said bread retainer having a supporting surface lower than but ad jacent to said track devices, so as to temporarily retain the loosened loaves in pushing contact with the inverted pans, an outlet for the loaves being formed at the terminal margin of said suppdrting surface, a traveling bread conveyor below said outlet to receive the loaves of bread from the inverted pans, said track devices being extended beyond the plane of said outlet for the loaves, and a traveling pan conveyor beyond the extended portions of said track devices to receive the pans discharged therefrom.

4. In an apparatus for transmitting hot pans of bread from an oven under conditions wherein each pan has partitions between loaves of bread, an endless traveling carrierhaving an intake zone to receive the hot pans of bread, said traveling carrier being provided with a return bend to dump the pans of bread and loosen the hot loaves from the pans, track devices associated with said return bend to receive and invert the dumped pans, said track devices being adapted to contact with said partitions and extended below the return course said endless carrier to support the inverted pans, supports for said track devices including rotatable screws. movable to adjust the tracl: members toward and away from each other, pushers projecting from said carrier to push the inverted pans along said track de vices, a bread retainer having a supporting surface located below but adjacent to said track do vices so as to temporarily confine the loosened loaves in the inverted pans, an outlet for the loaves being formed at the terminal margin of said supporting surface, and said track devices deflect said pans to an approximately predetermined location on the carrier, track devices beyond said converging deflectors to contact with said partitions at exposed top faces of the deflected pans, means for adjusting said deflectors toward and away from each other to alin said partitions with the track devices, said endless traveling carrier being provided with a return bend to dump the hot pans of bread from said pushers, thereby inverting the traveling pans at said return bend while dropping each pan to forcibly loosen the loaves in the pans, said track devices being inclined downwardly at said return end and extended under the return course of said traveling carrier to receive and. support the inverted pans in the path of said pushers, a bread retainer separated from said track devices to receiv the forcibly loosened loaves of bread, said bread retainer having a supporting surface lower than but adjacent to said track devices, so as to temporarily retain the loosened loaves in pushing contact with the inverted pans, and an outlet chute for the bread at the terminal margin of said supporting surface.

6. In an apparatus for transmitting hot pans of bread from an oven, an endless traveling carrier having a return bend to dump the pans and their contents, thereby loosening the bread in the pans, track devices associated with said return bend to receive and invert the dumped pans, said tracl'; devices being provided with extensions to support the inverted pans, and a bread retainer having a supporting surface located adjacent to said track devices to temporarily confine the loosened bread in the inverted pans, an outlet for the bread being formed at the terminal margin of said supporting surface, and said track devices being provided with discharge ends beyond said bread outlet to separately discharge the pans, said out- I let for the bread comprising a chute to receive the loaves of bread, and a bread stop movable into and out of the path of the falling loaves, said loaves being tilted to approximately upright positions at the movable bread stop.

NICHOLAS J. NICOLETTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 991,148 Goldman May 2, 1911 1,473,996 McGarry Nov. 3, 1923 1,561,664 Rathwell Nov. 1'7, 1925 1,843,995 Thompson Feb. 9, 1932 1,868,058 Furness July 19, 1932 1,945,758 Turner Feb. 6, 1934 2,032,946 McHenry Mar. 3, 1936 2,462,021 l-larker Feb. 15, 1949 

